Safety hat



Jui 15, 1930.

E. w. BULLARD SAFETY HAT Filed Feb. 8, 1927 2 Sheets-Shet l l/V VE/Y 7'02 WARD w. BULLAEO HIS ATTO ENEY. i

July 15, 1930.

E. W. BULLARD SAFETY HAT 3M] I I BULZARD Patented July 15, 1930 UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE EDWARD W. ULLABD, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR T0 PACIFIC SAFETY EQUIPMENT COMPANY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORIPORATION or camr'onnm SAFETY HAT Application filed February 8, 1927. Serial No. 166,616.

My invention relates to hats, and especially to those worn by persons working in localities where there is danger of being struck by falling objects.

5 One of the objects of the invention is the provision of a hat possessed of a suflicient degree of rigidity to protect the wearer from injury by falling objects, and still light enough to be Worn without discomfort.

Another object is the provision of a hat of the above character which is fire resistant and a non-conductor of heat and electricity.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a hat embodying the above safety features, and which is equipped with an adjustable lining conformable to the head to minimize the danger of injury to wearer or hat by distributing the force of any blow upon the top of the hat over the top of the wearers head.

Another object is the provision of a relatively simple hat structure having the above named characteristics and which lends itself readily to quantity production under factory methods, and which embodies a minimum of expensive hand performed operations.

The invention possesses other objects and valuable features, some of which will be set forth in the following description of my in-. vention which is illustrated in the drawings forming part of the specification. It is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the showing made by the said description and drawings, as I may adopt varying forms of my invention within the scope of the claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front view of the safety hat of my invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the hat shown in Figure 1, taken in a longitudinal median plane.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the blank from which the crown of the hat is formed.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the resilient conforming frame to be used between the hat and lining to make the hat fit the head.

Figure 5 is a view looking at the inside of the hat, and showing the conforming frame in position. Part of the lining is broken away better to disclose the structure.

Figure 6 is a side view of the hat, with the conforming frame indicated by dotted lines.

In terms of broad inclusion, the invention comprises a safety hat so constructed of light, non-metallic material as to be strong enough to protect the wearer from injury by thrown or falling objects, such as rock, bricks, tools, hot rivets, and the like. A hammock lining is provided to distribute the force of any blow received on the hat over the top of the wearers head. The lining is adjustable to fit any size head, and is so secured to the hat that danger of its being torn at the point of attachment by the force of a blow on the hat is minimized. A conformable fitting frame is interposed between the hat and its sweat band to make the hat more comfortable.

In greater detail, the invention comprises a safety hat, the body of which is constructed from relatively thin sheet material which is light enough not to make the hat cumbersome and uncomfortable, and still has a sufficient degree of rigidity to protect the wearer from injury from relatively heavy falling objects. For this pur ose I prefer to use hard compacted sheet ber, substantially of an inch in thickness, because it is tough, chemically inert, and a non-conductor of both heat and electricity, and because it is possessed .of a high degree of rigidity when formed into the crown referred form of hat, shown in Figure 1.

The development of this crownis shown in Figure 3. A substantially ovoid blank 3 is unched or otherwise cut from a sheet of the hard fiber, and is provided'with notches 4 and 6 at the intersection of the periphery with the minor axis7 and major axis 8 respectively, to facilitate forming the blank to the desired sha e.

After in steamed for about a quarter of an hour, the her becomes sufiiciently pliable to be readily pressed into the form of a crown, substantially closing the notches. A retaining ring 9, larger than the head size of the wearer, is then secured to the ed e of the crownto hold the notches closed. W liile these parts may be secured together in any desired and suitable way, it is preferred to seam them together with rows of stitches 10. The crown that I employ in mythus formed is possessed of the inherent advantages of dome construction, with the result that although it weighs but a few ounces, it is strong enough to support fully 250 pounds without being deformed.

he brim or visor is made by a similar process, and in the hat shown, comprises two sections 11 and 12, sewed or otherwise secured in overlapping relationship at opposite ends of the crown on a line parallel to and above the bottom of the retaining ring, so that the retaining ring extends well below the juncture of the visor and crown.

A supporting lining 16, preferably of cloth, is provided, the inner edge or hem 17 of which is gathered to distribute over the top of the head the force of any blow received on the hat. A draw string 18 in the hem 17 provides means for adjusting the lining, so as to determine the position of the hat upon the head, and for fitting any head within certain limits of size. The lower edge 19 ofthe lining is of leather or other suitable material to provide a sweat band. This band extends loosely over the edge of the retaining ring from the inside and is secured to the outer surface thereof. The advantage of this construction is obvious. When a blow on the hat tends to force it further down on the head,

a part of the force exercised by the lining in resisting such downward motion of the hat will be expended in the friction of the sweat band upon the edge of the retaining ring. This snubbing action relieves the strain upon the lining at its point of attachment, thus my hand.

EDWARD W. BULLARD.

tending to prevent tearing at its weakest spot.

The structure so far described is a rigid, non-conforming hat larger than the head size of the wearer, and supported upon the head by a gathered lining. Means are therefore provided to make the hat fit comfortably, comprising a resilient, inelastic fitting ring 21 corresponding to the head size of the wearer and-adapted to be disposed within the 1 retaining ring under the sweat band. A plurality of crossed spacing arches 22 are secured to the fitting ring so as to impinge against the inner surface of the crown to force the fitting ring to the proper position on the head and thus cause it and its liner, the sweat band, to conform to the contour of the head throughout its entire length. insuring the comfortable fitting of the hat. The assembled head conformable fitting frame is shown in Figure 4.

To render the hat waterproof, the closed notches 4 and 6 are covered by strips 26 and 27, preferably of adhesive tape, and extending from side to side and from front to back respectively. Similar strips 28 arranged in overlapping relationship, cover the respective unions of the brim, retaining ring and 

